Ot - identity theft

[wendylovesdisney]

So a few days ago our primary account was cleaned out plus negative balance when someone in Gabarone, Botswana at the Grand Palm Hotel made several charges with our debit/credit card number.

A few years back we had someone do the same thing with opening up Asian cyber accounts.

I am very careful with my debit/credit card. I don't understand how it has happened again!

I have never lost my card, so someone is either hacking or possibly stealing the card number when I pay at restaurants or something?

I do use paypal at times... are they not safe??

So frustrated!!!

 

[mantaz]

Do you go through ATMS with that card? They have somehow attached card readers to those now that can scan your info including your pin. I feel your pain! I had my wallet stolen a few years back.

 

[JB2K]

Do you go through ATMS with that card? They have somehow attached card readers to those now that can scan your info including your pin. I feel your pain! I had my wallet stolen a few years back.

When using ATM's, one needs to be on the lookout for:

• "White Label" ATMs - those machines commonly not owned/operated by a bank, credit union, or national ATM operator (Cardtronics). These machines are typically found in mom-and-pop stores and low-brow amusement parks, among other places.
• The card readers the PP mentioned - regardless of who owns/operates the machine, take a quick look at the card reader -- if it looks suspicious, go withdraw your cash, elsewhere (in my opinion, you are better-off buying a pack of gum at the grocery store/Walmart and asking for cash back -- plus, you can avoid those nasty surcharges that ATMs of all types impose).

 

[mcorbo]

It's also possible that your number was stolen as part of something similar to what happened to TJ Maxx, where millions of credit card numbers were compromised in one fell swoop.

 

[it's kelly]

A friend of mine had her bank acct wiped out many years ago. Come to find out it was the restaurant employee(s). When she gave her CC to pay the bill they must take all the info and use it that way. She wasn't the only one it happened to at that particular restaurant.

Good luck.

 

[dawson5]

A friend of mine had her bank acct wiped out many years ago. Come to find out it was the restaurant employee(s). When she gave her CC to pay the bill they must take all the info and use it that way. She wasn't the only one it happened to at that particular restaurant.

Good luck.

my little brother had that happen with a credit card by a girl who worked at the gas station. To top it off, he was paying for gas for a friend to get back home and it was a joint card with my mother. Like it wasn't bad enough dealing with that but to have our mother yelling about him using it for that (not like she wouldn't have done it either, probably would have bought sodas for the kids while she was at it).

Good luck.

Have you contacted the credit bureaus? I know there are some things that you can do to get started in the process of clearing it up, darned if I can remember what though.

 

[squirrlygirl]

When something similar happened to DH, he was told by the fraud dept. that often account numbers are swiped from the mail. If you pay a bill online it's handled electronically; when you pay by mail it passes through humans.